Waking up to her own tears soaking the pillow was certainly not new, but to realize that she completely forgot her dream? It was unusual for her. She always remembered her dreams, her nightmares. Always.
The most disturbing thing was that she couldn't stop crying even after half an hour had passed. She couldn't stop crying even though she was feeling numb all over. Her chest, her mind. Everything was numb. Or perhaps not entirely numb? There was a sense of loss…
She spent the rest of the night reading her dream journal after giving up returning to sleep. Written since her first year, the journal was filled with the recollection of her dreams and her own reflections on it. Entry three spoke of being chased by a troll, and Madeline at first laughed at her own imagination - And then she found out through her own written reflection, that yes, it did happen at some point of Hermione Granger's life.
She took some time to process it.
In the dream though, Barty appeared and mocked her for running away and waiting for someone else to save her. According to her reflection, she was indeed frightened at that time, and survived only with Harry and Ron's help. That event, according to the journal, was the cornerstone of her friendship with Harry and Ron. So a feeling of gratitude filled her whenever Hermione Granger recalled the memory.
But then she also wrote that she now resented how she felt so much gratitude towards those boys when it was them who pushed her to cry in the toilet in the first place. She also loathed herself even more for needing their help.
Many entries had the same thoughts. With her reflecting on how she felt back then and what she felt now about those memories, represented often by Barty's appearance. At some point, she wrote : 'These ugly feelings.. are they the product of maturity or am I, as Madeline Crouch, fundamentally different from Hermione Granger?'
Because it often differed so much. Madeline Crouch who wrote these reflections sounded more prideful. More arrogant. Hermione Granger was forgiving, while Madeline Crouch was not. She resented a lot, almost vengeful even. She also found Hermione Granger to be foolish in her sincerity and thought that she should have been more calculating.
Madeline read the journal from start to finish until the sun rose. At one point, she came to realize that almost all the memories that made up those dreams were gone. Reading the earlier entries even felt like reading someone else's journal.
She had thought that she only needed to write down all that was related to Voldemort. But looking at the current situation, she really should have written a full recount of Hermione Granger's life.
Was this what Hogwarts meant when it said that Hermione Granger will cease to exist?
Her memory loss.. she once thought it was just the result of the passage of time. At some point last year, she found Ebbinghaus's theory and started to use occlumency to make an effort to retain her memories. After finding it futile, she had realized that there could be another reason for her memory loss. But she was so distracted by the mission. By her projects. At that time, most of the memories that were lost were all about her childhood and her family so she didn't see the urge then.
And now it was too late.
One Thursday morning passed in a blur, with Madeline's head still trapped in the memory of the night before. She occluded whenever she had the time and checked all Hermione Granger's remaining memories. Fourth year memories, like the tournament, the yule ball, and Voldemort's resurrection were still there. There were no memories of mundane class though. There were some memories of fighting with ron. Barty's alternate self teaching the unforgivables. Getting cursed with a densaugo and mocked by Snape. She remembered her effort to free the house elves, and those horrible pins that mocked Harry, and Rita Skeeter…
And nothing else.
She didn't forget something important, did she?
It was fortunate that her anxiety was kept at bay by her occlumency.
A tap on her shoulder brought her focus back to the present time. Derica Dowson looked at her with a slight frown, in front of her was a teapot with tortoise legs. "Are you alright?"
Right. She was supposed to help her.
"Yeah," Madeline breathed out. It came out too weak to her liking, so she cleared her throat and repeated, "Yeah, Thank you for your concern. What do you think you did wrong?"
The girl paused for a moment, as if to see whether she was truly alright, before returning her attention to her teapot with a sigh. "Honestly, I have no clue. I'm starting to think I'm just not cut out for transfiguration."
"Poppycock. Let's start from the beginning. How much power do you pour into the spell?"
"Um... a lot?"
Madeline pushed down the urge to sigh. "A tortoise is a living being, which means high viciousness, so you need a lot of magic power, a lot of willpower, to transfigure it."
"You told me to focus on the visualization of the micro-transfiguration last time. I'm concentrating on that, so how can I concentrate on the power too?"
"That was for non-living thing to living thing transfiguration," Madeline explained, hoping that she sounded patient enough. "This is the exact opposite of it. You need to beat the tortoise's willpower to live. Besides, what micro-transfiguration visualization is needed to make a simple teapot?"
"Urgh, can you two stop?" A voice interrupted. With a side glance to the right, Madeline could see a scowling Cassandra Parkinson with a tortoise that shaped oddly like a teapot.
Madeline barely refrained from rolling her eyes. "Do you need help too, Cassandra?"
Her overly sweet tone was not welcome, it seemed. The girl's scowl only grew deeper.
"And endure your boring lecture for hours? No thanks."
She shrugged. "Suit yourself."
It was her loss. Even Dowson agreed, with how flabbergasted she looked at Parkinson's attitude. After all, her tutoring was acknowledged by professor Mcgonagall herself. It was only the second meeting of the teapot-to-tortoise spell and after Madeline succeeded in her first try last week, professor mcgonagall quickly assigned her to help Dowson, as Dowson had a history of failing her practical task. To both Professor Mcgonagall's and Dowson's surprise, the girl also succeeded with her spell by the end of the first meeting. And now, on the second meeting, professor Mcgonagall let Madeline to play with a real tortoise and turn it into a teapot. Of course, she absentmindedly did it in her first try too. Now she was teaching it to Dowson.
It was a supplementary tutoring. An easy one in fact, because the real lesson, that is turning a non-living thing to a living thing, was more difficult, as it needed that micro-transfiguration visualization. But since Dowson had gotten that down, Madeline thought she could use some practice for the reverse.
At some point, Madeline let Dowson practice by herself as she sat in a daze, her mind wandering once again. She visited her mind library, trying to figure out what it was that she lost.
It was futile though. She couldn't bring back what had been lost.
She didn't even know what she had lost.
"You know, for all your nagging about occlumency at Regulus, you sure do your share of occlumency yourself."
Madeline was snapped back into reality once again by another tap on her shoulder. This time, it was Rabastan. And they were well on their way to the common room.
Because they had finished all their lessons today.
Right.
Madeline frowned. She was dissociating the whole day, didn't she? Shaking her head, she changed her direction to the grand staircase, fully intending to spend the rest of the day in the room of requirement.
That is, until she realized the echoing steps on her back.
"Are you following me?"
"Reg asked me to," Rabastan replied unashamedly. "He has some concerns about your well-being."
Madeline sighed without looking back. Of course. And the only reason Regulus wasn't here was because of his quidditch practice.
But must he send his friend in his place?
Madeline shook her head, "You're too good of a friend."
"Pardon?"
"I said you're a good friend, Rabastan," she repeated, meeting the boy's eyes fully as she stopped. "If not to me, then to Regulus."
Rabastan's expression folded oddly, appearing uncomfortable at her words. A little smirk found its way to the corner of her lips. Was he discomforted by the genuineness in her voice?
"What I'm doing is a favor. I'm not a good 'friend'. Not really."
She huffed out a laugh before resuming her walk. "Why deny it? All you slytherins are emotionally stunted, I swear."
The boy quietly followed.
"You speak as if you're not one yourself."
"I would have been a gryffindor in another life."
If the boy heard the melancholy in her voice, he didn't show it.
"Yeah, and junior would be a hufflepuff."
Now a full blown grin sat on her face. A hufflepuff Barty... "Don't let him hear that."
"Do you know you always cheer up whenever Barty is mentioned?"
"What can I say? I'm a proud sister."
Conversing with Rabastan was a good distraction, it turned out. They arrived at the seventh floor in no time at all.
"This is as far as you can get," she said, stopping at the top of the stairs while Rabastan was one step below.
Rabastan tilted his head. "Sure. I'll just watch from here until you safely arrive at your destination."
She laughed. "Nice try."
Undaunted, Rabastan said again, "Afraid we'll uncover one of your many secrets?"
It was so funny that she laughed some more.
"Oh dear, no. I'm just protecting you." She smiled, "because I'll obliviate you if that ever happens."
A pause.
"Got it."
The boy ran fast down the stairs as she chuckled.
.
Dinner had started when Madeline quietly entered the great hall. She could see Valerie raising her hand and tapping the seat next to her, a gesture for her to come sit at her side. And she would do just that if she was not startled by Sirius who was banging the gryffindor table.
"Finally!"
He was looking at her.
Avoiding his and dozens of other students' overly curious gaze, Madeline quickly walked straight to the Slytherin's table. Unfortunately for her, her little steps were not a match for Sirius's long stride as he met her halfway.
"Milady."
He bowed teasingly, a winning smile etched on his face.
An act that would somehow grow into an outlandish romantic gesture by tomorrow morning.
She could already hear the incoming rumors in her ears.
Madeline smiled stiffly. She refused to play his game. "Do I know you?"
Perhaps it was too much to pretend to be strangers. Desperate times required desperate measures, though.
Unfortunately, the git only smiled from ear to ear. "Ouch. Can't we greet each other? I thought we've become closer."
What greeting? This felt more like an ambush!
She gritted her teeth and was forced to stop her steps as he stood on her way. "You've said your greeting, so could you please move? Preferably to somewhere far."
"Don't be cold, sugar. How about we continue our talk about you-know-what?"
She looked at him in disbelief. Muggle music? He wanted to talk about muggle music here?
What was wrong with him?
"Sirius."
Regulus appeared and stood on her side, slightly shielding her away from his lunatic of a brother. "Let's not encourage any unwanted rumors."
So one of the brothers had tact. Thank merlin for small mercies.
Sirius playfully wiggled his brows at them, "Is it really unwanted?"
"Yes," two voices answered simultaneously and Sirius pouted.
Oddly enough, Sirius easily gave in and moved away, returning to his table with a cheerful "oh alright then" and a satisfied smile. With one last glare at his brother, Regulus led her to her seat, his warm hand touching a small part of her back.
It was too warm.
She cleared her throat. "Can you move your hand away, Regulus?"
"Sorry."
The warmth on her back was quickly gone.
On the table, Barty was glaring afar, straight to the winking Sirius who looked so proud of himself. He must have done it with a reason, Madeline realized with narrowed eyes. Valerie, meanwhile, was trying so hard not to scrutinize her.
"What was that?"
"Don't think too much about it, Orpington," Regulus replied before Madeline could even open her mouth. "It was just my brother in one of his manic episodes."
Some snorts were heard as she took her seat, while Valerie looked at Regulus with not a little doubt.
"Manic episode, is it?" Warrington mused. "I heard insanity runs deep in the Blacks's blood. It's definitely interesting to see it with my own eyes."
"Want another show?" Regulus offered. "I could give you an unforgettable display of our insanity tomorrow night. I guarantee it will leave a mark on you."
An abrupt silence ensued.
Madeline tilted her head, curious at the suddenly dropped temperature. Some boys looked nervous, trying so hard to focus on their plate while Evan and Rabastan snickered. When she stopped her eyes at Regulus, the boy only gave her a boyish smile.
Her eyes lingered on him for a short while until Barty pushed a plate filled with steak on her face.
"Eat Maddy. You need food to deal with all of their nonsense."
Wise words.
She thanked her brother with a smile as she accepted the plate.
The dinner resumed as usual. She managed to force an answer out of Evan - it turned out there was a dueling club meeting scheduled for tomorrow night - and Barty badgered her about Sirius - "Just run away next time, Mad. That rabid thing might be contagious" - Valerie then asked her for some advice on transfiguration and that led Barty's classmates to start asking her about their lessons.
It was a mundane night, and she was happy to find that she was properly distracted from the problem that was her memory loss.
After all, now that she had written everything she remembered as Hermione Granger, there was nothing left to do. There was no changing the memory loss; she just had to accept it. Mulling over it would only make her more depressed. And so, she put all the bad thoughts at the back of her mind and occupied herself with only good thoughts.
This made her agree to help Barty's classmates with their homework, and so, after dinner, Madeline spent quite some time in the common room, reading essays after essays and recalling book titles for their additional references.
"Why are you so nice to them?" Barty asked with furrowed brows, late at night. Right after the last of his classmates left for sleep.
She shrugged. "You asked me to help them last year."
"Last year was just tutoring the practical aspect of our subjects. But now you're helping them with homeworks for two full hours.. Wait, are you sick?"
In an instant, his eyes inspected her from head to toe in panic, clearly alerted.
She rolled her eyes. "Well I have the time, so.."
Barty scrunched his nose.
"You have the time. You."
"I'm not a hypocrite," she huffed. "How can I tell you to relax when I don't do it myself?"
They sat in silence, though Madeline could sense Barty's doubtful eyes every now and then. The fireplace was burning brightly, though it could never beat the shadows of the dungeon. Some other older students were talking quietly on another sofa, while others played wizard's chess on the table to their left. Regulus, Rabastan, and Evan were sitting quite afar, where the Carrows, Mulciber, and other Death Eaters-to-be were gathered.
She eavesdropped on them quite a few times before. Just to see if they knew anything useful related to Voldemort.
They didn't. They were just fanatics who train and prepare themselves to be his army. In a crude and vile way.
It was quite disconcerting, actually. She couldn't believe they were already so.. bloodthirsty as a student. The way they talk...
Her only consolation was that Regulus and Rabastan never partake in their talk. They were listening quietly - Unlike Evan who laughed along with them.
Madeline sighed. Evan Rosier... He was a vicious death eater in the future. Preventing him from walking the same path would be very beneficial but could she really change the direction of his life? Would it be safe?
And how should she do that, exactly? The boy seemed so comfortable in his place.
"Say, Madeline," Barty called her out of her thoughts. "What if we take our OWLs and NEWTs early?"
Her head turned so quickly at her brother that a dizzy spell hit her. Barty stared at her innocently as he observed her reaction.
"We can travel the world after that," Barty continued. "Just you, me, and mother."
Did he want to? Madeline frowned as she tilted her head, "I thought you're enjoying hogwarts?"
"I am," Barty shrugged. "It's just different now."
"Different how?"
"What's the point of attending classes when you already know all the materials?"
A silent pause ensued.
Madeline bit her lips. She thought he was going to bring up his issues with Evan. That would be much easier to answer.
But if it's about their studies...
To be honest, that thought had crossed her mind quite a few times. Mostly when she had a pile of assignments to do on top of her research.
But leaving hogwarts... was it really the best way to fight Voldemort?
The most strategic thing that voldemort did was the fear mongering. Their use of the imperius made everyone distrust each other. The piling missing cases that were exposed to the public revealed that once he set his eyes on you, you will never return home. And then those marks on the sky, announcing death.. When it started, the wizarding world was thrown into chaos.
It was not without reason that Dumbledore started his movement in Hogwarts. Hogwarts was filled with hopeful youth who were eager to fight for a cause. A perfect place to fight a war filled with fear.
When she decided to bring down Voldemort, she didn't just want him dead. She wanted his resolute loss. She wanted to protect everyone he had harmed in her future. And like Dumbledore, she thought Hogwarts was the best place to start. A place where she could fight off his fear mongering, straight from the bud. Of course she also cooperated with father to influence the ministry and helped them fight Voldemort. But both the ministry and Hogwarts had different purposes - and she had to have the two of them.
Her mission, originally given by Hogwarts to prevent the catastrophe of 1998, now had grown into so much more. Before, she was just trying to make useful tools to help her mission of gathering horcrux. Now.. now she was making tools to protect people and fight Voldemort. She would help them overcome their fear, so they could..
- so they could fight.
She blinked. Right. She almost forgot, didn't she? Harry didn't fight a war by himself. He fought along with Hogwarts.
She needed to fight along with Hogwarts too.
She needed to gather like-minded people to fight against Voldemort. That's why being in Hogwarts was important.
Besides, who would have listened to her outside the Hogwarts wall? With her young appearance, the best place for her to gather people was in Hogwarts. Yes, staying in Hogwarts is the best choice.
"Madeline?"
She evened her breath as she looked at her brother. Her little brother. The one who would probably follow her to the end of the world.
- could she maybe start with him?
She wet her lips. "There are more things to gain at Hogwarts, Barty. Like friendship, and.. - and bravery."
"Bravery?" Barty frowned. "We're not gryffindors."
She shook her head. "Everyone needs a little bit of bravery, Barty. The courage to stand for what is right. The courage to defy everyone who stands against you."
"Bravery," he mused, briefly glancing at his friends' direction who was gathering with those older students. "Defying everyone who stands against me... I suppose I could learn some bravery lessons in Hogwarts. What about you, though?" He turned to her. "You're plenty brave already."
A blush went up her cheeks. How can her brother say something that sweet so effortlessly? "Well, I try to be. But being in Hogwarts always tests my bravery every day." Now let's change the topic. "Besides, I haven't decided what I want to do after I graduate."
That piqued Barty's attention.
"Really?"
She nodded. "That's why I'll be staying here for a while. Until I figure something out."
"I didn't expect that," her brother said, leaning against the sofa. She smiled knowingly.
"You thought I had figured out my life already?"
Her brother always thought the best of her. It was clear with the way he shrugged, not bothering to deny her words. "You look like it."
If only she could always live up to his expectations...
"I'm equally lost as everyone else, Barty," Madeline confessed softly, eyes drawn to the dancing fire inp the fireplace. "Maybe even more so."
Another silence followed before a sigh was heard.
"Come here. I'll hug you," said her brother. Though his words were sweet and the way he opened his arms for her was adorable, his tone and expression was one that screamed the phrase 'what a bother'.
She huffed, though she accepted his offer quite readily as she jumped at him from her sofa.
"Don't say it like it's a chore."
"You're a bit of a chore, though - Aw!"
Madeline smiled as she hugged her brother. The hug was warm and felt like home - it was truly astounding how comforting a hug can be. Like being enveloped with a safety blanket.
Without her notice, a stream of tears had already flowed her cheeks.
"Maddy?"
"Can we stay like this, please?" She begged, tightening her hold in her brother's arms. "It was a hard day for me."
"You don't need to ask. There, there."
Barty started to pat her back.
That made her cry even more.
She hid her face. How foolish. Just when she thought she had managed all her emotions.
"Did someone bother you?"
"Nothing like that. It's just.." How to say it? That she seemed to had lost a part of herself? How would she explain it to Barty then? Madeline sat quietly with her jumbled mind until she finally managed to find her words : "I just feel like I'm becoming a different person."
Barty never once stop patting her.
"Really? Well, no matter what, you're still my sister."
She cried even harder.
.
Regulus was just minding his business as he headed towards the dungeon after a quick detour to the library when he overheard a couple of giggling voices near him. He frowned and hastened his walking pace.
"So who did you vote for?" One voice said.
"Sirius black, of course."
"Isn't he taken though?"
He paused, eyes twitching at the mentioned issue: The slander of Madeline Crouch. His grip on his book grew tighter.
"We can still look," said another voice, which invited a long, sad, sigh.
"It's a shame that he's taken. Crouch is so lucky."
Never before that Regulus was so eager to join a bunch of giggling girls, but the current reality unfortunately forced him to do so. He approached their nook and startled them with his solemn words, "They are not dating."
Four pairs of eyes almost bulged out of their sockets as they took in his presence.
"Share this to everyone you know," Regulus continued, "Sirius Black and Madeline Crouch are not dating."
"Aren't they?" Said one of them, body leaning forward, looking like she almost burst from curiosity "Everyone saw them at hogsmeade. And yesterday, at the great hall.."
Nope.
"You saw wrong. Sirius Black is still very single, and very much available. Madeline Crouch, on the other hand, is off limits for everyone in this school."
"Oh! Does she already have an intended?"
He nodded resolutely. "A future intended, yes."
The girl scrunched her nose.
"A future intended? What does that even mean?"
In the face of his confused audience, Regulus maintained his stern expression.
"Spread the words. Sirius Black and Madeline Crouch are not romantically involved."
With those last words, Regulus nodded resolutely, not unlike a general giving confidence to his soldiers, and quickly left the gossip group. Just as he turned at the corner though, he was met with a pair of blue eyes.
"Doing volunteer work, I see."
Barty Crouch Junior scrutinized him, eyes judging.
"Since when does my sister have a future intended?"
"Am I wrong though?" He replied unashamedly and walked past the boy. What can the younger boy do, really? He already told the same thing to twelve other gossip groups. "She will have an intended in the future. Hence, a future intended."
The boy followed him with stink eyes that could be sensed very distinctly from a radius of two steps. The radius could have been farther though. Must test it to confirm.
"It implies that there is already a candidate, though."
"Don't overthink it."
"What if this rumor harms Madeline's future prospect for a betrothal?"
Regulus didn't pause in his steps as he gave the boy a look. "Do you really think so?"
Barty rolled his eyes.
"I know there will be at least one suitor," another stink eye was thrown in his direction which Regulus pointedly ignored, "but Madeline deserves a long line of suitors. And I want Madeline to have options. Like, a lot of options. Not just 'option a: Regulus Black. Option b : Second heir of the house of Black. Option C : Owner of the left wing bedroom on the fourth floor, number 12 Grimmauld Place."
Actually, those options sound quite lovely.
"Barty," he interrupted the boy's charade. "Tonight. Do you want to come?"
The boy narrowed his eyes and stopped his steps, which Regulus graciously followed. Barty, of course, knew exactly what he was referring to.
"Are you even allowed to invite others?"
"I don't think anyone will challenge me."
Was it arrogant? Probably. But Regulus would like to think that he had established his place in the club.
"Not even the Carrows or the other seventh years?"
- well. His established place was still below those of the seventh year students, so..
Regulus couldn't quite hide his hesitation, which the younger boy easily caught. Barty huffed and rolled his eyes as he walked past him.
"No thank you. I have better things to do."
The back of the blond boy went further away without looking back and Regulus frowned.
Why did it feel like Barty dismissed his offer too lightly?
.
Regulus played with his wand as he waited for the meeting to start. He had a new curse to test today so he was hoping to duel with Warrington, especially after that comment yesterday.
It would be an educational session for everyone. They would learn that one must refrain from making a thoughtless remark against the Blacks if they are not prepared to face the consequences.
"What's he doing here?" Muttered Evan.
Regulus glanced at the direction Evan was seeing. Not too far from them, stood Severus Snape in his usual grumpy countenance, conversing with the Carrow twins, Rowle, and Mulciber as they each took a seat.
"Rowle invited him," Rabastan explained.
Regulus scowled, and he could see that Evan mirrored his expression. In Regulus's opinion, Severus Snape had no redeeming qualities to compensate for all of his bad ones. Even after spending so much time with the older boy during their research project, Regulus still couldn't tolerate his presence. He even started to think that his brother's hatred towards Snape's general existence was not entirely unfounded.
Sure he was brilliant in potions. But so was he and Madeline. Snape was nothing special.
And when Regulus recalled all those times where Snape talked to Madeline without knowing his place -
"Black. Want to try him?"
Regulus frowned at the call. Rowle was smirking at him, probably noticed him glaring at his new friend. Snape, on the other hand, had this haughty look on his face that was just unflattering for his nose.
Regulus looked away in distaste. "I'd rather not waste my time."
There was a snort.
An annoying, and familiar snort.
Regulus glared at Snape.
"Is something funny, Snape?"
"I thought I heard a dog barking."
"You - "
"Finish it in a duel, will you?" The male Carrow interrupted, his voice, drawled in such a way that irked Regulus even more, echoed throughout the dueling club room, drawing all sorts of attention.
Regulus knew then that he could not back away.
- and then he was promptly beaten.
.
"A waste of time, was it?"
Regulus clenched his fists so hard he swore he managed to draw blood with his nails. The memory of Snape's ugly, arrogant face came to his mind for the tenth time that evening, his annoying last words echoed and seemed to scratch his wound, over and over again. He couldn't care less about those who dueled after him. As Regulus sat with rage boiling under his skin, all sorts of ideas started to flood his mind. He could help Sirius enter the Slytherin common room to prank Snape, he thought. Better yet, he could do the deed himself, with the help of Rabastan, Evan, and Barty.
"Urgh, why did they invite that filth?" Evan approached his seat and took the seat next to him. The younger boy had just won against Pyrites, and so, drunk on his win, he claimed, "I'll trample him next year, I swear."
Regulus scowled. "Shut up."
Not that Regulus doubted Evan's battle magic skill, but Snape was someone who could duel Sirius one on one and held up for a considerable amount of time.
Regulus knew how skilled Sirius was in battle magic. He was almost on par with Bella - In fact, Bella even said that Sirius had the potential to surpass her, once upon a time.
So for Snape to handle his brother almost everyday..
Regulus gritted his teeth. There was no point in dwelling on this matter. Regulus was never that interested in battle magic, anyway. He was more of a potion guy.
- just like Snape.
Regulus punched the sofa's arm at his own comparison. Was there any need for a comparison? Regulus had friends, and Snape had none. Regulus had wealth in spades and a flawless pedigree while Snape had none. Regulus was handsome, Snape was not. There was never a comparison. None.
"Still, Reg, we have to regain your honor. I mean, you lost to a disarming charm - "
This brat.
"Evan, one more word and I will let you experience how it truly feels to be dis-armed," Regulus said, calmly.
The boy shut up nicely after that.
They watched the next duel quietly, a somber duo in the midst of cheers and jeers that filled the room every time a curse had landed. When Rabastan returned to his seat after his duel, accompanied by none other than Alecto Carrow, Evan took it as a sign of the end of his talking ban.
"I can't understand why you invited that halfblood when you rejected Barty," Evan sulked at Alecto Carrow.
"We'll invite your little friend soon," the older boy answered easily, fully knowing how it will excite Evan. True enough, the younger boy jumped from his seat and stuck his face in front of the older boy's.
"Really? Why not now?"
"He'll be more desperate to join after some time," Alecto Carrow said with an eerie smile, his right hand pushing away Evan's face. "After all, aren't all of his friends here? He must have felt the growing distance between you by now."
A slightly guilty look briefly passed by Evan's face, and that only made the male Carrow smile wider.
"In time, he will be more desperate. More.. malleable."
"Malleable?" Evan echoed, and Regulus was not alone when he stiffened at the word.
It was not unusual for Alecto Carrow to bend others at his will. But his methods… Regulus would prefer Barty do not experience it.
"I'm sure you are aware he comes from a different background than ours," Alecto explained. His eyes, round and almost bulging from his sockets, suddenly caught something interesting. It was an ant, walking across the table nearby.
He trapped the ant with his left hand, and the little creature, having a giant wall in front of it, started to move to the left. Alecto blocked it again. And again. And again.
"His differing views... we will change it in time."
When he grew bored, one finger was all it took, and the ant was crushed.
"And I will need all of you to bring about that change," he regarded Regulus, Rabastan, and Evan. Regulus immediately let out a sigh in relief. Alecto wouldn't deal with Barty directly, then. Regulus would just need to do a good job so that the older boy didn't need to use his methods.
When they nodded, quietly agreeing to the order he gave, Alecto smiled.